Remember or Not
by Demirari
Summary: Akizuki was a proud girl that served under an equally proud Admiral. A mishap in judgement and the story ended. By luck, however, Akizuki came back to the Admiral. That is what everyone wishes to be, yet it is not.


The droplets of water made a repetitive sound as they periodically hit the wooden floor below. A girl, around sixteen in age, sat near the damp wood. It had been around two hours if she would to guess the duration of her stay since she appeared here. She had woken up here unexpectedly, alone in a moderately sized room with dim lighting.

At first, her response to waking up was of fear and confusion. Half an hour after her awakening, she had managed to calm herself somewhat and was able to think somewhat coherently. An hour before her current time, she discovered what felt like a metal collar around her neck. Thirty minutes ago, she heard footsteps in the direction of the door.

She would be lying to herself if she believed herself to be free of fear, confusion, and all those raging emotions. It took most of her will to keep the lid on, to prevent hysterica running amok. She had been breathing in slowly and calmly, in the attempt to keep up her illusion. There were many thoughts of where she could be in the beginning, now there were none. Thoughts now are a danger to her in such a situation.

Memories were another thing she kept hidden away and refused to let out. Happy memories, happy memories, happy memories. What memories could she hold onto? How could she remain so calm when there is none to comfort her! Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths. Calm. She slid down the wooden walls slightly, the cool flooring felt comfortable to her bare legs.

There is no dimness in intelligence; she could easily recite poems, she could easily solve mathematical problems in her mind, she had all the education and none of the memories behind them. How perplexing and infuriating it was. The emotions boiled underneath, her muscles tensed and ready to spring into action, whether it be to cry or to scream and pound in anger.

Beep, went her collar. It was strange, it felt strangely connected with her being. Feeling the edges of the collar, she noted it was warm, far warmer than her body. She took this distraction to ease her tensed muscles. It wouldn't do good for her to spring, to run on paranoia and fear.

The door opened slowly, the first new change that had happened in three hours. She felt her breath hitch as a tall young man walked into the room. She felt her body moving to a corner before instinctively forming a defensive, crouched posture. Her teeth were clenched, her muscles now more than ready.

"Good afternoon Akizuki," the man greeted warmly, crouching before her, "terribly sorry about the conditions, but we were on short notice and were incapable of finding a more fitting room. I hope you can forgive us, and we're glad you're back."

She didn't respond, her eyes were casted downwards. Her mind was busy processing the word Akizuki and attempted to embed it as her name before noting something. Her head shot up suddenly, glaring at the man. That was not her name, that was not her name. She knew that to be true.

"My name isn't Akizuki," she responded coldly, her mind suppressing all emotions except for the ones she needed. Dominating what were empty spaces, her anger struck out. "I am not Akizuki!"

The man cocked his head before shaking sadly, his hand caressed her right cheek comfortingly. "I know that you're confused, but you're Akizuki, even if you don't remember it."

Her right hand was in motion, swatting away the man's hand before recoiling back towards her body. She shook her head negatively, "No, no, no, no! Get away from me, I'm not Akizuki!" In the peak of her emotions, she bolted for the open door in a bid to escape.

A sudden shock shot through her body before she felt herself collapse on the wooden ground. Was she shot? No, there weren't any signs of a gunshot wound. She crawled forward, hearing the man's footsteps behind her. Fear bloomed now, her body attempting to get up and start running.

"Akizuki, please!" the man shouted as he grasped her body and pulled it gently against his, "listen, I know you're confused, but your Akizuki!" His head brushed against hers, "please."

She did not resist, she did not fight back. Her breathing quicken as she felt the warmth of the man press against her back. It was panic, she was panicking now. Yet, she did not resist the man's comforting actions. She wasn't Akizuki, yet why isn't she resisting the man and attempting to run?

"Who are you?" she whispered as she felt tears form. She blinked once to extinguish them as she held her will. Panic and fear, those two emotions she felt coursing through her body, wanting to fight against the man and run. She probably could with the man's lax hold on her.

"Kishimoto Naozumi, your commander," Naozumi paused as he took a deep breath, "and… and, oh God." She felt his arms wrap around her tighter. Tears trickled down and she felt them as Naozumi apologized, "oh God! Akizuki, I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

She felt the will to declare that she wasn't Akizuki, but she bit her lips. Doubt clouded her mind as she unwillingly relaxed. She wasn't, she just wasn't what Naozumi wished. There was no possible way for her to tell him, even if she did earlier. Pain struck her chest as she grimaced, it hurt so much.

Naozumi kissed her cheek out of sudden desperation. The kiss, it was sloppy yet it was filled with true founded emotions. It was as if she would disappear at that moment. She listened to her commander, his quiet sobs filling the room. Her own tears fell freely even if she fought to keep them.

"I, I, I don't care if you can't remember, we'll make new memories," Naozumi declared with faltering confidence and hope, "please, just please stay Akizuki. It's alright, alright. It'll be great! Everyone… everyone will be happy once more."

There was no response from her, there was only silence. She breathed slowly, her eyes closed. Akizuki, that was not her name, that she knew with conviction. How, now, could she answer this man's wish? There was a sliver of familiarity with Akizuki and this man. It was distant, it belonged to another woman yet there it was. How could she answer this man's wish?

"I'm sorry," Naozumi repeated as he looked up at the ceiling, "I shouldn't have that day… I shouldn't have." It pained him to smell the familiar fragrance yet be so different. Her eyes, her hair, and her voice, they were all so close to her. She was Akizuki, she was and she wasn't and so she was. He had waited too long and she was so close yet not.

There, she knew of the story of Akizuki. The memories did not come in suddenly, they didn't come at all. She knew what happened and she only cried more. The smell of the sea, the coldness of the depths, she knew them too well. She knows of excitement, of hope, of despair, of hate, and of acceptance.

"I'm," she began, Naozumi listened attentively. It was hard to form the words. Why would she say it? It felt so wrong to say it, yet it felt perfect. "I'm A-Akizuki."

Naozumi let out a laugh of joy and of sorry. He held Akizuki closer than before, feeling her warmth. This was what he wanted, right? This was what he was waiting for. It had been months since then, and now she was here! She was here right? Akizuki was here!

"Thank you! Thank you!" Naozumi cried out as he brought both of them down onto the wooden floor. There they lay on the ground in silence.

It was delusion that ruled Naozumi's heart and it was false acceptance that forced Akizuki to recognize herself. They both knew, within their mind, that Akizuki was not who she was. Impossible it is for Naozumi to accept such facts, not after his long wait for her return.

Soft footsteps from the outside broke the quietness. There, a woman stopped and looked sorrowfully upon the two. It had been six hours and she, the secretary of Naozumi, went to investigate. This was the product of those long months.

"Admiral Kishimoto," the secretary began and stopped, observing the two forms. She took a few steps backwards and walked away, closing the door without any other words. It was more of a greeting than anything else. Later, she could come back, later.

Thus, they both lay there on the wooden ground, quiet for the day.

* * *

Hey! This is just a short one-shot I decided to write while working on Chapter III of my other work. It sort of sprang out of the blue and strangely refreshing to write. (Do not read the next sentence unless you want to). This story is based on the possibility of losing your waifu in game and gaining her back as a Level I.

Have a nice day!


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